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Buzz a Buzz 

OR 

The Bees 

TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN 

OF 

WILHELM BUSCH 

BY 

HEZEKIAH WATKINS 

WITH THE ORIGINAL GERMAN ILLUSTRATIONS AND 
TWENTY-EIGHT ORIGINAL DESIGNS BY 
PARK BENJAMIN 




NEW YORK 
HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY 
1873 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, 
By HENRY HOLT, 
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



Chas. E. WrxBOUE, Printer, 
205-213 East 12th St., New Yobk. 



PROLOGUE. 



PENCIL, Muse ! of finest grade 
From Nuremberg, by Faber made ! 
Once more put saddle on my stout 
Steed Pegasus — and trot him out! 




Hoop-la! — For Dralle and his bees, 
And for his daughter, fair Christine — 

For Docet, whom the maid doth please, 
And for his nephew, Young Eugene! 



GREET THEE, lovely month 
of May, 

With leaves and thousand flow- 
erets gay! 
Thee too I greet, O lovely bee, 
Bathed in the morning sunlights sea ! 





How blithesome thou dost flit about 
Hans Dralles bee-house, in and out, 



THE BEES. 



3 



And though the sun scarce risen is, 
Thou'rt deep immersed in business. 




There's nothing here for thieving hands, 
For at the door the watchman stands. 

And all the sturdy, dexterous men 
They hack and cut and measure on, 




Till nicely side fits side — and then — 
Behold a perfect hexagon. 



THE BEES. 



See ! Bridget Bee at break of day, 
Sweeping the dust and dirt away : 




True ! cleanliness requires some trouble, 
But then the pleasure's more than double. 

How tenderly old Auntie dear 
Takes care of little baby-bee ! * 




"Minnie!" she cries, "some water here, 
And cook the porridge speedily." 

Note by Translator. 

* " aliae, spem gentis adultos 

Educunt fetus."— {Virgil Georg. Lib. iv. 1. 162.) 



THE BEES. 



The sen-ant maidens make ado, 
And fly about and wait with zest 




On her Imperial Highness, who 

Is just this moment up and dressed.* 

And lazy, grumbling drones alone, — 
The greedy, fat, foul, stupid things, — 




Hang 'round the house — of use to none, 
Or lie abed with folded wings. 

Note by Translator. 

* " ilium admirantur et omnes 

Circumstant fremitu denso, stipantque frequentes, 
Et saepe attollunt humeris, et corpora bello 

Objectant, pulchramque petunt per vulnera mortem." — (Do. L 215 et seq. 



6 THE BEES. 

" Heigh, ho ! " these worthless grumblers sing 
"What! Thunder! has it grown so late? 




" Here, Bridget ! come ; be quick and bring 
Us mead and honey-bread, and plate ! " 
" Patience ! Old Epicures ! " she cries ; 
Then to the baker, Crocus, flies. 



" See here ! these doughnuts, fresh and sweet, 
Lisps Crocus, " Take them, precious pearl ! 




THE BEES. 



The Damsel of the Period, 

Here stands — to guests dispensing tod. 




But when his lovesick billet-doux 
Auricula had read quite through, 
Upon a rose-leaf, wet with dew, 
She wrote as you or I would do : 



3 



THE BEES. 



Swift-winged, the bee doth then depart 
With balm for Crocus' aching heart, — 




Then homeward speeds — E'en now you hear 
The Drones are kicking up a row; , 




" You stupid Biddie ! hand that beer ! — 
One must do everything, I vow." 



IO 



THE BEES. 




Snuffing about in every nook, 

To scratching Hans's hives it took. 




The bees come quickly from their shrine, 
And buzz about the bristling swine. 



THE BEES. 




The pig sets up a doleful cryin\ 

Hans Dralle thinks : " Vat's got dat schwein 




Hans Dralle stands amazed, to see 
His pig plumped out so wondrously ! — 



THE BEES. 



A sausage-dealer, happening near, 

Says, " How you sells dat hog, my dear ? 




"'Bout zwanzig thaler, so I tought!" 
Well, here they are, all counted out! 




Hans Dralle chuckles with delight ; 
" Vat's dat to me! Dat ish all right!" 



THE BEES. 



*3 



He folds his arms contentedly, 
And hums a ditty of the bee : 




Fly, my pretty bee, now hie thee ! * 

Over hill and dale ; 
Search the blossoms bright and ply thee 

Ere the sunlight fail. 

Come again then, hither hasting 

When the petals close ; 
Store thy sweets for winter tasting, 

Then go seek repose ! t 

Notes by Translator. 
* Compare Schiller's "William Tell," Act III, Scene L (Song of Walter.) 

t " rursus easdem 

Vesper ubi e pastu tandem decedere campis 
Admonuit, turn tecta petunt, turn corpora curant." 

{Virgil George Lib. iv., L 185 et seq.) 



t4 



THE BEES. 




Halloo ! what mean they by these tricks ? ! 
Two bees out-doors with walking-sticks ? ! 




The air is clear, the air is warm; 
Hans Dralle's waiting for the swarm. 



THE BEES. 



15 




It grows so dull — yet duller grows ; 
Hans Dralle drops off in a doze. 



Toot, Toot ! The trumpets gently sound 




And all within the bee-hive reach ; 
Its little inmates gather round, 

And then the Queen gets off a speech : 



1 6 THE BEES. 



" Come, children ! pack your traps up now ! 
This old curmudgeon snores, I vow! — 
Declares he's Father of the bee ! 
A pretty father ! What does he ? 
Of what account? 

To puff his pipe 's the whole amount ! 
A chimney and a bellows, too, 
He is, who stuffs our noses — whew ! 
In summer we must save our breath 
And wear and tear ourselves to death; 
In hopes we may increase our store 
And drive off famine from our door . . . 
And then !— 

Scarce have we packed each cranny, when 
He fills the house with gases rank, 
And the poor bee must walk the plank. 
In short, an old * skinflint ' is he ! — 
Who, stealing honey — kills the bee ! — 
So take your traps, and follow me!!" 



THE BEES. 




Helter-skelter there they go ! 



HOUSEWIFE sometimes 

needs a group 
Of parsley plants to season 
soup. 

Now in precisely such event, 
This very day Christina went — 




As you can see — with pleasure too, 
Her father's garden rambling through. 




THE BEES. 



19 



Herr Docet's garden lies near by ; 
Ah ! she has Docet in her eye. 
Was sweet on him at first as tutor, 
Then more and more he grew to suit 'er, 
Until the arrow -peu a pen — 

Has pierced her poor heart through and through. 
Now Cupid — ofttimes dealing harshly — 
Cares naught for cabbage-plants nor parsley; 




But bets his pile on pinks and posies ; 
So " Tina " plucks these, and some roses. 



THE BEES. 



Before one fairly knows about it, 
Auricula — no one will doubt it — 




By some sweet sort of hocus-pocus 

Has twined her arms around young crocus. 



THE BEES. 



And so Christina dear reclines 
Beneath the vines. 

Now Docet's nephew, young Eugene, 

Has had his eye upon this scene ; 

For this mere stripling of fourteen, 

Tho' still so young and ne'er so green, 

Has yet within his bosom felt 

The fires that warm, and sometimes melt. 




With caution by the wall he glides, 
And comes to where Christina hides. 



22 



THE BEES. 




And — schwapp ! — a voice in deep bass tone ; 
" Ha, monster ! what's this going on ? ! ! " 
And with his stick Herr Docet plies 
Our hero, till in pain he flies. 



THE BEES. 




He fondles her upon the chin. 
You see yourself — he rubs it in— 
His hand creeps higher and still higher 
Oh, yes ! And she grows red as fire ! 




" May I dare touch these flowers below 
Christina dare not answer " No ! " 



THE BEES. 




Then — fitting climax to his bliss — 
He gives the precious girl a kiss. — 



THE BEES. 




" Adieu ! we soon shall meet again : 
Say at the bee-house, Love, at ten ! " 
In pain, with listening ear Eugene 
The union of these hearts has seen. 




He mounts the wall with cry alarming; 

" Ho ! neighbor, ho ! your bees are swarming ! 



THE BEES. 



27 




Quick ! ladder, cap and basket, here ! 
Before the bees all disappear! 




Now fearless — muffled safe from harm — 
He mounts the ladder — traps the swarm ; 



THE BEES. 




And stands erect on topmost rung, 
When suddenly his calf is stung ; 




And with the weight, so heavy grown, 
The top breaks through and lets him down. 



' THE BEES. 




And — zip ! he shoots through every round, 
And tumbles headlong to the ground. 




The Bees, however, buzzing drive 
About the hive. 



3° 



THE BEES. 



Beside the pool sit urchins two, 
Essaying what squirt-guns will do. 




Yet little this disturbs the bees, 
Who buzz away, quite at their ease. 



THE BEES. 




Her broom aloft doth Peggy swing, 
And Tony makes his trumpet ring. 




Fred, Ernst and Will all fife and cry 
The swarm is not disturbed thereby. 



THE BEES. 




Now o'er the house it sails along; 
The sweep observes the moving throng. 




Now o'er the church the swarm soars high; 
The hunter fires into the sky. 



THE BEES. 




And now Hans Dralle limpeth near 
When all at once they disappear. 




Dat feels me very bad " — thinks he, 
Dat neighbor Docet see de bee." 



H U S swarming, for Apisti- 
cus, 

Kicks up a most infernal 
muss ; 

Especially — from all we know — 
Our Hans has just now found it so. 
Yet such annoyances effect 
A quick'ning of the intellect. 




" Dey muss haf room ! " — so he contrives 
To make with straw a pair of hives. 




THE BEES. 



" Good morning, neighbor ! right fine day ! 

Docet calls out across the way : 

" So busy?! now, how're you to-day? 

The bees, too, neighbor, how are they?" 

11 Ya, ya, der man haf a hard way ! " 

" Come, neighbor, that you shouldn't say ! 

The bee is ever a delight, 

As round about he wings his flight ; 

Of great renown, too, is the bee — 

In heathendom, especially. 

— Witness Virgilius, if you please, 

A Roman poet — great on bees ; 

For when the famous Roman Legion, 

Which, as you know, sacked every region,, 

At length came down on his Penates, 

Who shielded Virgil, like his bees?" 



36 THE BEES. 




Peacefully smiles Virgilius, compassed by sweet buzzing 
honey-bees ; 

Broken, the bearded brave warmen take flight in the 
wildest confusion ! 



THE BEES. 



"If mine bees wouldn't sometimes schwarm ! " 
Says Dralle — " Ya, ya, dere's de harm ! " 
" Why, that's a trifle, my dear man ; 
Plant off-shoots, neighbor, that's your plan : 
And thus you'll have, whene'er 'tis done, 
Two branches, where there's now but one. 
Off-shoots — my friend — organization ! ! " 




"Adjew! Dat is an innovation!!" 





UGENE, his dinner done, 
hath found 
A shaded seat upon the 
ground, 

And joyous, notes with inward glee 
Bees flying from a hollow tree. 




Aha ! that needs investigation : 
There's honey there, beyond negation ! 



THE BEES. 




A little care, now, and he's got 'em! 
Schrapp ! down he tumbles to the bottom. 



THE BEES. 




Now he's a fixture in the tree, 
Where hath its nest the honey-bee. 




And, what is worse, his leather pants 
Get caught — as you may see, perchance ; 
So that, upon his naked calf, 
The bees are pouring out their wrath. 



THE BEES. 




"The only way's to climb the tree!" 
Concludes the bear — so up climbs he. 



THE BEES. 




Ah ! how the youngster quakes with fear, 
At catching sight of Bruin's rear. 




Shrill cries ring out his horrid story: 
He clutches a posteriori. 
The shock frights Bruin — hide and hair- 
And drives him to the upper air. 



THE BEES. 




Just then Hans Dralle reached the place, 
And he, too, climbed the tree apace. 



44 THE BEES ' 




Ugh! hear his loud affrighted shout! 
He meets the bear just crawling out. 




Head first, all tumble, as you see, 
Down to the bottom of the tree; 



THE BEES. 



45 




And then the moustached musketeer 
His glittering weapon brings to bear. 




True as you live ! he would have hit 'im, 
Had Bruin stayed and only let 'im. 



THE BEES. 




And little think, this work pursuing, 
The youngster's boots they are undoing. 



THE BEES. 

Hans Dralle wishes, as one sees, 
With crafty skill, to trap the bees. 




" Look sharp ! I gets you now ! i-yi ! " 
Whirr ! out from under off they fly. 




And Dralle's hives he means to go for. 



THE BEES. 



49 




Oh, Gemini ! an army corps 
Of bees rush from the open door, 
And rough as poodle Eugene grows 
From crown of head to his ten toes. 




Now happily there's water near, — 
Perdums ! head first they disappear ! 




Poor boy ! he's very sick and feeble ; 
So take him quick to Doctor Siebel. 



THE BEES. 




The Doctor auscultates his bowel; 
" I rather think I hear a grow-1 ! 
Some foreign body, I should say, 
Has gone the epigastric way; 




This we must seek to extricate 
By operations delicate ! " 




" Begone ! you're not a handsome bird ! " 



THE BEES. 



The frog, his courage well-nigh spent, 
Regains his native element ; 




Rubs back and sides, and feelingly 
Ejaculates : " No more for me ! " 




OW, one would think, that after all 
The mishaps that this lad befall, 
At length he'd heartily detest 
Sweet things — although the very best! 
Oh no ! — Just now the dunce has got 
His eye on DrahVs honey-pot, 
Which, as he knows, stands on a shelf 
Just o'er the couch of Hans himself. 




THE BEES. 




Hans seemed some rustling noise to hear, 
And, quick as thought, pricked up his ear 



56 



THE BEES. 




And one can read in Dralle's eye 
That 'tis no human entity ! ! 



THE BEES. 



57 




Hans Dralle's hair stands from his head, 
And lifts his night-cap out of bed. 



5B 



THE BEES. 




The monster springs from off its knees 
To seize the patron of the bees. 




And cries with voice, as from the tomb, 
" Hans — the avenging bees have come ! " 



THE BEES. 




It rears its awful form withal — 
One hears it scratching on the wall. 




Thank Heaven ! 'tis turning now from sight ! 
Hans Dralle's almost dumb from fright. 



THE BEES. 






Are hanging from his window bar 
And faded are. 



THE BEES. 




But Docet takes them up ere long 
To press them in his Book of Song — 




Where, faithful souls, forever blest, 
They, wrapt in sweet embrace, shall rest. 



THE BEES. 



63 



From belfry sounds the hour of ten ; 
'Tis time that Docet start again. 
He bids his humble cell adieu 
And hies him to the rendezvous 




Where, torn with waiting and alarms, 
The lovely dove flies to his arms. 




But hush ! what stir is this I hear ? ! 
Some ill-designing rogue is near. 



64 



THE BEES. 
Bee-robbing 'tis by which he thrives ; 




"Yes," says the thief, " my heaviest haul 
Would be the biggest hive of all ! " 



THE BEES. 



65 




He shoulders Docet, and elate, 
Starts off upon a ( forty' gait. 




" Zounds ! what a fool!" Herr Docet said.. 
And clapped the bee-hive o'er his head. 



66 



THE BEES. 




Vain are the rogue's attempts at flight- 
The hive and Docet hold him tight. 



But 'Tina's fate seems worst of all ! 




gr ****** 

The shaggy bear surmounts the wall, 



THE BEES. 

Smells in the hive, and snuffs about, 



67 




Quick now ! a stick ! and there it goes ! 
Right through the ring in Bruin's nose ! 



68 



THE BEES. 




Yes, roar and roar! 

Your nose will leave that hole no more ! 



So things are working to a charm ; 




Behold the lovers, arm in arm ! 



THE BEES, 



69 




Dralle draws near — and with surprise 
Beholds the scene before his eyes. 




He stands and stares in wondering way ; 
" Nein, Kinders, dat I nix verstay ! " 



THE BEES, 




" All right ! " says Dralle — then, addressing 
The pair, he gives each one his blessing. 



THE BEES. 



71 




Wild with delight, then gather round 
The worthy people of the town. 




The forester — sworn foe to Bruin — 
Is bent upon the creature's ruin. 



THE BEES. 




And off in haste his keeper goes, 
With Bruin — growling — by the nose. 



THE BEES. 




And " Hip hurrah ! " shout all quite jolly, 
" Hurrah ! for our old friend, Hans Dralle ! ! 




And round-faced, jovial moon, the while 
Doth down on Dralle's garden smile. 



THE BEES. 



Robed in his sheen, thro' twilight's hours, 
The bees are humming on the flowers, 
And celebrate this first of May, 
Their Queen's right royal wedding-day. 




Already high in rosy Court 

Sit Royal Queen and Prince Consort. 



She nods — and, loud enough to stun, 




The Cannoneer fires off his gun. 



7 6 



THE BEES. 



Ring, ting ! tarum ! — and right away 
The Royal Band begins to play. 




The house-fly — it played the trumpet, 

Musquito, too, played piccolo, 

The drone, with his hum, was beating base drum, 

The grasshoppers fiddle 

A high-diddle-diddle ; 

And who ever knew such a right jolly crew? 




See ! spindle-shanked Saw-buck ! 
What unparalleled luck ! 
He's dancing a measure 
With Lib-bee, his treasure — 



THE BEES. 



77 



Of wardrobe so neat — 
And such wee bits of feet. 




And little Short-shins 
With tiny bee, Minnie, 
Is shaking his pins. 



And only look at spruce Katrina! 




For whom gruff beetle is in quest — 
A lusty lad, in satin vest ! 



78 



THE BEES. 




The moon sits in an apple-tree 
And keeps the /bright merrily. 




June-bugs were there — not decked in rubies — 
Right jolly coves, 
Though bashful boobies ; 

Who smoke and drink in neighboring groves, 



THE BEES. 




Till from excesses of the glass 
They lie stretched out upon the grass. 
The watch-owl maketh them a visit, 
And saith: "Aha, 'tis you then, is it? 
A new carouse ! ! " 




8o 



THE BEES. 




At last the moon, too, nods his head, 
Wraps up in clouds, and goes to bed. 



